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FRENCH VERB

recommencer

to start again

  • #327 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: recommencé
  • Present participle: recommençant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I start again
  2. tu you start again
  3. il, elle, on he/she starts again
  4. nous we start again
  5. vous you start again
  6. ils, elles they start again

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I started again
  2. tu you started again
  3. il, elle, on he/she started again
  4. nous we started again
  5. vous you started again
  6. ils, elles they started again

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to start again
  2. tu you used to start again
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to start again
  4. nous we used to start again
  5. vous you used to start again
  6. ils, elles they used to start again

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will start again
  2. tu you will start again
  3. il, elle, on he/she will start again
  4. nous we will start again
  5. vous you will start again
  6. ils, elles they will start again

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would start again
  2. tu you would start again
  3. il, elle, on he/she would start again
  4. nous we would start again
  5. vous you would start again
  6. ils, elles they would start again

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I start again
  2. tu (that) you start again
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she start again
  4. nous (that) we start again
  5. vous (that) you start again
  6. ils, elles (that) they start again

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu start again!
  2. nous start again! (let’s)
  3. vous start again! (plural, or formal)

How to use recommencer

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Les cours recommencent lundi prochain.

    Classes start again next Monday.

  2. Past

    Il a recommencé à fumer après les vacances.

    He started smoking again after the holidays.

  3. Imperfect

    À chaque erreur, on recommençait depuis le début.

    With every mistake, we started again from the beginning.

  4. Future

    On recommencera demain, il fait trop sombre.

    We'll start again tomorrow, it's too dark.

  5. Conditional

    Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais sans hésiter.

    If I had to do it over, I'd do it again without hesitating.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Je ne veux pas que ça recommence.

    I don't want this to happen again.

  7. Imperative

    Recommence, je n'ai pas entendu la fin.

    Start again, I didn't hear the end.

Good to know

  • Recommencer à faire; ne recommence pas ! is don't do that again!

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.